Chapter 14: The Search, Part 2

Mariane growled in disgust and slammed the door of her group's latest search area so hard it flew off of its hinges and clattered into the abandoned warehouse. Her team and the owner of said warehouse winced at the sound, but didn't speak up. Most knew that pissing off Mariane, the Human Thunder Clap, was a very, very, bad thing, especially now.

For Wakaba, his sense of self-preservation and his sense of family were at war. On one hand, he wanted to comfort Mariane. On the other he was interested in keeping himself alive. But, he was a Fairy Tail mage, and by nature loyal to the point of stupidity. And his sense of self-preservation was not very strong in the first place, losing to his compassion. So naturally he stepped up to the fuming Mariane and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Mari… we'll find him okay." He said lamely. "It's just a matter of time." He said as confidently as he could.

She wheeled on him, her eyes blazing with anger and fear. "Is it Wakaba? This whole spiel is based on the idea that Ivan hasn't left the city. What if he's not here? What if managed to get out?! What if he's not here anymore?! What if…" she looked like she was going to say more or cry, but choked back her tears and refocused. "Let's just move on to the next place." She said gruffly. Wakaba sighed and followed.

Then Mariane caught sight of the kids in her charge, Link Erza, Simon, and Cana, and saw the frightened and worried looks on their faces. Instantly she felt awful for making a scene like that. She loved these kids, and it was her job to keep them safe and happy. Right now, she was failing at that, worrying them horribly.

Sometimes she forgot that these kids were, in fact, kids. Especially Link, Erza, and Simon. All three of them showed a remarkable maturity and seriousness for their age. It was sad, that they didn't really have the chance to be young, but impressive that they hadn't let grief claim them. But they were also still children. And as a mother, it was her job to care for them and protect them. And damn it all, they might as well have been hers as much as Laxus was.

So she squatted down, coming to eye level with the kids, and gave her best reassuring smile to them. "Look, kids, I'm sorry for my little- ah- outburst back there." She said apologetically. "Look, you know me, I'm a worry wart. And I'm worried right now. But… yeah. We'll find Laxus." She said, and the kids seemed at least a little at ease. "So, I promise: no more freak outs." She said. "And I'll let you guys get at least one crack at Ivan, I promise." She said, and there was a collective eager nod from all four. Simon's savage grin was a tad bit disturbing, but being Fairy Tail it was expected that he might be a little nuts.

And Mariane found that saying the words aloud made herself feel a little better as well. She found that, yes, she did believe it. Ivan was arrogant to the point of stupidity, he wouldn't think to leave the city before he'd accomplished whatever he was trying to achieve with Laxus. There was no escape for him, not anymore.

As they began to walk together towards the next search area, Link suddenly stopped, a strange look on his face. "Link, are you alright?" asked Erza, glancing back at Link, who was staring at nothing. The red head was alarmed to see a look of horror, absolute and complete horror on his face. He looked like one seeing Hell itself. It was a look she had not seen since the island, when he had been taken away by Ghirahim.

"Link? Link what's wrong?!" demanded Erza, grabbing her friend and giving him a quick shake, trying to wake him up from whatever spell was upon him. He had told her, and all his friends as well, of his role as some sort of Holy Warrior, and she wondered if this might have something to do with it. The others turned back and stood behind her, looking somewhat worried as they saw the look on their friend's face. A thrill of fear went through them.

Suddenly, Link bent over, clutching his gut like he'd been struck. He groaned aloud and fell to his knees, clutching his abdomen. Now Erza was really worried. Whatever was happening to Link, it wasn't natural. Was this Ivan's doing? Or was it the work of some sinister supernatural creature after the power of the Hero? "Link, Link you tell me wat's wrong this instant." She demanded, trying her best to mask her fear with anger.

Link looked up at her, his eyes struggling with some hidden thing that she could not see. He slowly raised a hand and pointed ahead to a building resting on an opposite street. It was a large and ugly warehouse, squatting on a corner like a large beast gloating over a kill. He said one word, and one word only before passing out. "E- Evil."

Mirajane Strauss cursed silently as the floorboard beneath her groaned under her weight. She was still for just a moment as she waited to see if further protest would come from the offending board, and when none came she started forward through the ancient attic of the old warehouse. She had to be quiet, oh so quiet, as she made her way to her siblings. Gods knew that it was probably lurking around, looking for them. It, she refused to call the freak anything else and humanize it even a little, always was. Always just there in the background of the world, searching for them. Probably wanting to kill them, just like it had their parents.

Ever since that night, that horrible night of fire and blood, two years ago she and what remained of their family had been on the run. From what, she was afraid to acknowledge. All she knew was that it wore robes of scarlet, called itself Agahnim, and possessed terrible powers. That, and it had killed her mother by cutting her open and burning her on the ceiling of little Lissana's room. And then, one year later, one of its minions had gotten to her father.

She'd gotten payback though, and discovered a power that she never knew she had. And oh she had used it, used it against the beasts Agahnim sent after them. Her brother had discovered it in him to, and Mirajane had no doubt that Lissana would discover it in herself when she was older. Every time that freak sent its monsters after them, they only got stronger. The only downside, now Agahnim was personally hunting them. Thus far they'd managed to evade the freak, but each miss was nearer than the last.

That was how they'd ended up here in some dusty and ancient attic in a crummy warehouse in a bad section of Magnolia. It was only the latest of their hiding places, the most recent of a long series of crummy places in bad sections of backwater towns. But hey, if it meant avoiding getting raped, murdered, and eaten (not necessarily in that order) by monsters it was good enough for them. They never stayed long, two or three days at most, because staying one place too long was a death sentence in the life thy found themselves in.

Slowly, Mirajane came up on her brother standing guard and their slumbering toddler sister in one corner of the attic. Elfman looked up in alarm when he hear her approach, but relaxed as he recognized his sister. "Mira, I was worried for a second there." He said quietly. "Did you see it anywhere?" he asked, a little nervously.

She shook her head. "Nope, the coast's clear." She said with a small smile, settling down next to her brother. "Hand over a power bar, I'm hungry." She said, snatching the proffered food out of her brother's hand. She glanced over at her sister, still so small, and felt her heart break a little.

The past two years of their lives had been utter hell. Always running, always fighting, always doing whatever they could to simply stay alive. Losing mom had been horrible, and then the nightmare had repeated itself with their father. And through it all, Mira had remained strong as she could, for the sake of what little family she had left. She had not cried when her father died, and that had made it okay for Elfman and Lissana to cry. She was the strong one, she had to be. Because she'd never be so cruel as to ask them to be strong for her.

There was a ruckus below and the two woken Strauss siblings froze in terror, neither one moving. It couldn't be, the bastard couldn't have gotten to them yet. It wasn't possible! After a moment they heard a voice below, gruff but thankfully unfamiliar voice. Both children breathed out a relieved sigh. But though it wasn't the man of nightmares, who was it then?

"Elfman." Said Mirajane quietly. "Do you have a peep hole or something nearby?" she asked almost silently. Elfman nodded and pointed over to a spot a few feet out. "Right. I'm going to do some recon, watch Lissana." She ordered quietly. Elfman nodded, clearly frightened but remaining as brave as he could. Mira gave a smile of affection and a hug for her brave, wonderful little brother. Then, steeling herself, she creeped over to the peephole.

Below her was a man, tall and powerful with black hair and harsh features. He was dressed in fine clothes and was pacing back and forth impatiently, muttering to himself every now and again. Judging by the worn path in the dust of the warehouse floor he seemed to have been at it for quite some time.

Then she saw the boy.

He was probably about Mirajane's age. Maybe a little older. He was a blonde haired and blue eyed boy, bound and gagged in one corner of the warehouse. Under different circumstances she might have found the boy cute, but with everything the way it was she considered that little detail of little importance.

What was this? Had she stumbled on some sort of kidnapping? Had to be, otherwise the kid wouldn't be tied up. And if it was a kidnapping, what was she to do? Common sense told her to stay put, let things play out. It wasn't any of her business, she had her siblings to look after anyway. This wasn't her problem, just stay out of it.

But, in her heart of hearts. She knew that wasn't an option. Despite her hard time on the road on the run from a maniacal wizard-demon-thing, she didn't have it in her to just sit back and let something like this happen. Her inherent sense of justice, nurtured and developed by her mother and father, would not permit it. 'They wouldn't do nothing.' She thought to herself fiercely, 'They'd go down there and help that kid.' She steeled her resolve, but before she could pull away, the door swung open.

Instantly, the blood in Mira's veins ran cold and she began to tremble. The fear, it was instant and electric. Gone were all thoughts of justice, of her parents, of anything besides that terrible and poisonous fear creeping through her. For into the warehouse had come it, the monster and demon who had murdered her parents and turned her own life into a living hell. Agahnim had just entered the building in all of his red robed glory.

Around the dark wizard there seemed to be an aura of shadow, a cloak of oppressive darkness. The lights of the warehouse seemed a little less bright, the sun a little less warm. The air crackled around him, like the air just before a storm.

The black haired man turned to Agahnim and growled at him. "You're late Agahnim. Fairy Tail is already crawling all over the place." He snapped at the red robbed demon. "This better be worth it."

Though his robes obscured most of his face, Agahnim seemed to smile a poisonous smile. Mira wanted to bolt, grab her siblings and get the hell out of here, but that would draw the dark wizard's attention to her. And that was the absolute last thing that she wanted. Well, that and the small fact that she was paralyzed, paralyzed with fear.

"Oh I assure you Ivan my friend, this is the absolute real deal." Said the demon in man's skin in a voice as smooth as silk. From the folds of his robes Agahnim produced a box, a simple little box made of wood and clasped shut with a golden lock. Instantly Ivan's eyes were aglow with some emotion, something that seemed almost like hunger.

Mira felt a shiver of disgust and couldn't understand why. Something about this Ivan guy just threw her off. But it was minor in comparison to the mind-numbing fear that was poisoning her mind, and the rage bubbling up beneath the icy casing of fear. Her hatred of Agahnim was great, but at the moment it was still dwarfed by her fear.

Ivan reached out to take the box, but Agahnim snatched it away. "Not so fast my dear boy." Said Agahnim in a cheerful voice, ignoring Ivan's hateful expression. "There is a price for all things, and this is more expensive than most things you have bought from me over the years." Said the dark wizard. "This one is going to cost you quite a bit."

Ivan glared at Agahnim, malevolence in his eyes while Agahnim looked mildly amused at the man. It was like a kitten staring down a lion. "And what price shall you extract from me today? You've taken my hands." He snarled, ripping off a glove and Mira felt a rush of horror as she saw that they were not flesh, but rather wooden in the exact shape of a hand and glowing all over with runes. "Perhaps my feet, or is it my dick you want?" snarled Ivan.

Agahnim chuckled. "Oh no, no, no. Nothing as crass as flesh. No Ivan, I desire something more… valuable." He said, that eye smile coming out to play. "For something like this I require a year. One year off of the end of your life. When you will barely miss it" He said.

Ivan glared at him, confusion on his face. "A year of my life? How the hell does that work?" he demanded of Agahnim.

Agahnim sighed. "It is quite simple Ivan. You will die one year earlier than you were originally meant to, and I take the year as my own. Don't worry, you won't even know it is gone, and I add the power of that year of life to my own. And oh can a year be used in so many ways." He said with a dreamy sigh. "And for what it will get you, for what it will get your son, I think one measly little year is more than a fair price." Said Agahnim.

Mira felt a new rising tide of horror within her as she saw Ivan's eyes flit over to the boy in the corner who was groggily starting to regain consciousness. That kid was his son?! What the hell was wrong with this Ivan guy to do something like this to his own kid? To willingly bring his child within reach of that devil in red robes? Mira could hardly believe it.

Ivan sighed and said, "Give me the ruddy contract then." He snapped at Agahnim.

Agahnim shook his head. "No, no, my friend. There shall be no contract required. A simple handshake will do." Said Agahnim, transferring the box to a single hand and extending his free one to Ivan. There was a single moment's hesitation from Ivan, a single moment of doubt flashed across his vision, but he extended his hand and clasped Agahnim's.

Agahnim smiled from beneath his robes and smoke arose from their hands. Ivan shouted out and drew his hand away, glaring down at his hand. Seared into the enchanted wooden replacement of a limb, in burns as black as night, were lines of an ancient tongue, one Ivan did not know. The contract was there, on his skin, running all the way up to his arm. Agahnim smiled from beneath his robes. "The deal is struck, and here is your prize." Said Agahnim, handing the box to Ivan.

Ivan snatched the box away and opened it. Instantly, golden light was thrown all over the room, the buzzing crackle of electricity filled the air, and the smell of ozone perforated the air. A new type of power filled the room, different from the insidious and deliberate one of Agahnim. This was primal, angry, and unstoppable. Ivan reverently closed his wooden limb around an object within it, and produced a golden crystal orb, about the size of a tennis ball. Within the ball, Mira thought she could see so many strange things. Lightning bolts, teeth, claws, the roaring head of a monster…

Ivan let the box dropped and now walked over to his fully awake son. The boy had begun to panic, his eyes fixated on the golden orb in his father's hands. His eyes glittered with unshed tears, confusion and terror mixing as one. He summoned a few feeble lightning bolts, but Ivan moved through them like a hot knife through butter. He knelt down in front of his struggling son, meeting the boy's blue eyes with his own black ones. "Laxus." Said Ivan quietly, and like magic the boy stopped struggling. The fear remained though, fear that no son should direct at his father. "Laxus, this is going to hurt a little bit." He said in a surprisingly gentle tone.

Laxus thrashed against his bindings anew and Ivan looked away. He gulped and shot his free hand forward, pinning the boy down. "I'm sorry Laxus, but this is for your own good. For everyone's good. The Prophecy of the Seven is almost upon us." He said, shame in his voice. And without further pomp, a blank look came over Ivan and he shoved the golden ball into Laxus's chest with a great amount of force.

It was then that several things happened at once. One, the doors to the warehouse slammed open with a sonic boom. Two, There was an explosion at the other end of the warehouse as a hole was blown in the wall. And three, the boards beneath Mira gave out and she fell through the attic floor and into the room below.

Mariane Dreyar did not notice the girl falling through the roof, she did not notice the strange man in red robes, nor did she notice the armored giant, shirtless man, and dwarf girl who crashed through the opposite wall. No, she had only eyes for Ivan, the traitorous bastard standing over her screaming child. Her maternal instincts kicked into full overdrive, and a red haze settled over her vision. With a war cry she shot forward with as much speed as possible. "GET AWAY FROM MY SON YOU BASTARD!" she screamed, drawing back her fist. "THUNDER FIST!" she screamed in fury, slamming it into Ivan's face. There was a sonic boom and a mighty shockwave, hitting Ivan full in the face.

Ivan rocketed away into another wall, skidding into another wall. Like a flash he was up, his eyes flashing. "You should not have come Mariane. Shikigami: Paper Torrent!" he cried, and the rubble around him transformed into paper dolls. The dolls gathered into three streams, gleaming with purple energy, and blasted forward at Mariane.

Mariane held her arms apart and cried"Thunder Shaker: Thunder Clap!" She brought her hands together and generated a mighty sonic boom, blasting apart Ivan's attack. However, over the sound of the attack she did not hear Ivan whisper his other attack. From behind her a massive paper doll wrapped its arms around her, binding her in place. Mariane growled like a lion and roared another spell from the crushing embrace of the doll. "Thunder Shaker: Vibration!" she cried, vibrating her body at supersonic levels. The doll was torn apart and Mariane hit the ground running. She turned to the retreating Ivan and opened her mouth. "Thunder Shaker: Sonic Scream!" she roared, and an ear splitting shriek emanated from her mouth, blasting Ivan in the back.

As Ivan fell to the floor and Mariane raced towards him to deliver more blows upon him, Agahnim turned his attention to the three on the other side of the warehouse. His eyes flew open as he recognized the power emanating off of them.

"Templars." He hissed as though the words were poison. "How dare you encroach upon me." He snarled, power brimming at his hands.

"Ah, you know us." Said Yasha stepping forward, a nodachi materializing in his hand. "We're like ants, spoiling a bad guy picnic." He said with a cocky grin. "By the way, just for the record, I totally beat Elena here." He said with a grin.

"LIES!" cried the pink-haired girl. "I distinctly beat you by seventy-two millimeters you poopy-headed lollipop!" she cried, green eyes burning with fury.

"Yeah, but I'm prettier than you." Said Yasha flipping his hair as sparkles shone around him for some strange reason. "Therefore I'm the winner. Its science." He said with a careless wave of his hand.

"HOW DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?!" Elena screamed at Yasha who seemed unfazed. "Answer me you conceited monkey brain! STOP IGNORING ME!" she roared at Yasha who still didn't give a crap. Agahnim was getting the distinct impression that he was being ignored by the idiot brigades. To be honest, it was a little bit insulting. Not to mention he felt like he was getting an aneurism from sheer stupidity.

"Uh, guys. Demonic wizard to beat." Said the giant man, Janos. "You can compare running scores later. Right now, let's get this show on the road." He said, cracking his knuckles. "I've been itching to let loose on a demon at some point, and this asshole fits the bill rather nicely." Said the giant in a sinister tone.

Shooting one last glare at Yasha but joined Janos, drawing her bow and nocking an arrow. Yasha took point in front of them, leveling his nodachi at Agahnim. "I really hope your health insurance is paid up demon, because you're going to be checking in for a very long stay once the Delta Squad of the Templar Knights is done with you." He said, flashing a dazzling smile that looked positively predatory.

Agahnim glared at each of them, and the suddenly burst out laughing. He laughed so hard that he began to shake, and madness gleamed in his eyes. "You will try." He said, black light beginning to shine in his eyes. "Come then, valiant Templars. Come and test yourself against Agahnim: The Bearer of the Flame of-" he probably would have continued, but Yasha leapt forward with the speed of a viper, slashing downward, his nodachi gleaming with golden power. The strike sent Agahnim flying.

"You talk way too much." Said Yasha dryly.

There was an explosion of power from Agahnim as he screamed in rage. "Dark Power: Black Flame!" he screamed, blasting a great stream of black fire at the Templar. "Try and dodge this one you impudent cur!" bellowed Agahnim.

"Okay." Said Yasha with a shrug. "Way of Courage: Backslash." He said rather casually, jumping in the air and flipping over the attack. As he jumped he swung the nodachi, striking the glowing golden blade upon the black fire. The fire was directed back at Agahnim who narrowly dodged his redirected attack.

"Hey!" cried Elena indignantly. "Don't hog all the fun you pig!" she cried at the shirtless Templar. "Way of Power: Iron Fist Arrow!" she cried, firing an arrow at Agahnim. The arrow flew forward, transforming into a giant metal fist as it flew through the air. Agahnim quickly erected a shield deflecting the massive projectile. However, he was caught off guard by Yasha charging around him, gripping the nodachi with both hands.

"Way of Courage: Cross-Slash!" he cried, swinging the nodachi in an X and then an L pattern. The blade traced a glowing path in the air, creating an image of the shapes it had made in the air. The Nodachi was then thrust forward and the shapes hit Agahnim, full force. The blast sent the dark wizard through his own shield and sprawling forward. Yasha rushed forward, a grin on his face, intent on finishing the dark being.

However, to his dismay, as he slashed through the prone form on the ground, it was nothing more than illusion. Too late he heard behind him the cry of "Dark Power: Shadow Swords!" with those words Agahnim summoned two swords made of pure shadow, each as large as a man, and sent them flaying at Yasha. The Templar moved, but was badly cut by one of the swords. He cried out in pain and fell to the floor, his nodachi clattering beside him.

Janos reacted quickly. "Path of Wisdom: Binding!" cried the armored giant. Upon his words an ethereal needle appeared and rapidly stitched the wound shut leaving glowing white sutures in its wake.

Yasha stood and picked up his nodachi. "Nice handiwork Janos old buddy. This ought to last me till we finish the bastard." He said through clenched teeth.

"Just be careful." Said Janos sharply. "This isn't a fix, it's just to tide you over and I can only do and sustain so many at a time." He said to his shirtless friend. "Remember, a cautious Templar is a live Templar." He said as Yasha rolled his eyes at the familiar phrase.

"Now, back to business." Said Yasha with a hungry and animal grin on his face, his Nodachi flashing dangerously in the light.

While the two battles were being fought, Erza, Simon, Cana, and a freshly revived Link shot past the spells and flying rubble. They were aware of a boy's voice above crying out for his sister and a little girl's crying as they grabbed the unconscious girl who had fallen through the ceiling. Supported by Link and Simon, they carried her over to Laxus who was still in the corner.

"Laxus!" cried Link, setting the girl down and rushing over to his fellow blonde. Laxus, however, was thoroughly out of it. Link ripped off the gag and shook Laxus twice. "Come on bro, speak to me! Wake up!" he cried. "Please don't be dead man. Don't be dead." He said, looking a tad desperate. "Please oh please don't be dead."

Wakaba crouched down, having caught up to the children, and checked Laxus's pulse. "He's alive." Declared Wakaba, much to the children's relief. "But he's also hurt. We need to get him out of here and to Porlyrusica." He said fiercely.

"Got it!" cried Erza, immediately taking charge of the situation. "Boys," she shouted at Link and Simon. "Grab Laxus. Cana, you help me with this one." She said, gesturing to the white haired girl. "Wakaba, we need you to cover our exit. Got that everyone!" she shouted, and the others nodded in affirmation, partly out of agreement and partly out of fear of the red-haired girl and her expression which made her look like a preteen Goddess of War.

"Oh yes, I hear you loud and clear." Growled a voice from behind them. They turned in surprise to see the red-robbed man, Agahnim, standing over them. He seemed to have at least temporarily escaped his battle with the Templars, and now he stood over them as imperiously as Ghirahim once did. "I'm sorry but that boy is mine. Or more specifically, my Master's. Can't have little thieves running off with what isn't theirs, now can we? DIE!" he screamed, and raised his hand, charging it with energy.

At that moment, Erza felt something rise to the surface. A rage, clearer and more powerful than she had felt before. Her friends were being attacked, Laxus was severely hurt by his own father, and the man who sounded and felt so much like Ghirahim was going to kill them. The situation and everything about it stroked her anger to levels she had never felt before. Along with it, was protectiveness. A drive, an obsession, to protect her loved ones. That all-consuming fire in her heart to protect her family burned to the surface.

And then something happened that she didn't quite understand.

One moment she was beside Link and Laxus, examining the Laxus, and then the world seemed to turn to pure gold for just a moment. When her vision cleared, she was in front of Agahnim. Then she blinked, and Agahnim was flying through the air, crashing into a wall.

Erza blinked, confusion setting in. What had just happened? How had she moved so fast? Why were her friends and enemies alike looking at her with awe? (Even Mariane and Ivan had stopped their brawl.) And what was that unfamiliar weight in her hands?

To her surprise, Erza found herself holding a sword. This was not surprising, she had summoned plenty of swords before, but this one was beyond anything she had ever seen before. It was a massive two-handed broadsword bigger than she was. It was pure gleaming white, both blade and hilt, like it had been forged out of pure light. It was surprisingly light for such a large weapon, and it felt… natural in her hands.

But then she saw her right hand and she noticed, in a detached sort of way, that there was something there that hadn't been before. Three triangles, three golden triangles forming a larger triangle, were emblazoned upon her palm, the topmost one glowing brighter than the other three.

"It- It cannot be." Said Agahnim in a voice filled with fear. "No- it is a lie! An illusion! IT CANNOT BE TRUE!" he cried in terror.

"E-Erza. I don't believe it." Said Link. "Y-you're like me." He said, a look of wonder crossing his face.

"Wha- what? Do you mean Link!?" she asked, starting to get a little frightened.

"Well I'll be damned." Said Yasha, sounding impressed. "Never though the Triforce of Power would wind up with a little girl."

AN: To quote M. Night Shymalan, WHAT A TWIST!

Yeah, I was originally going to make Erza the Bearer of Wisdom, but then this got in my head and it just fit PERFECTLY!I mean, Erza with the Triforce of POWER? That is simultaneously awesome and scary if I do say so myself. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and let me know what you think in the reviews. Love you all to bits, BYE!